Gauge



April 23, 1935. J. H. M. AwREY GAUGE Filed Dec. 6, 1953 2 Sheets-Shet 1' ea'mziwreg.

April 23, 1935. J. H. M. AWREY ,999,073

GAUGE Filed Dec. 6, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY the'invention and its of Figure looking in Patented Apr. 23, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE 2 Claims;

ticularly to a liquid gauge for storage tanks.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a gauge of this character, wherein the quantity of liquid within a' storage tank can be determined, and theindicat'or hand controlled by a float within the tank traverses a dial having concentric scales and cooperates with a trip signal indicative. of a determined number of revolutions of the indicator hand upon the .dial, thus enabling adefinite and more accurate reading of the gauge.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a gauge of this character, wherein an indicator hand is automatically controlled underthe influence of liquid within a storage tank, it being operated through a float flexibly connected with a drum and such hand coacts with a signal of a trip type signifying the number of revolutions of the hand with .respect to ing'provided with double pointers for the respective scale readings, the gauge being of novel construction in its entirety.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a gauge of this character which is simple in construction, thoroughly reliable and eiiicient in its operation,v readily and easily readable, strong, durable, and inexpensive to manufacture and install.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the preferred embodiment of the invention, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation, partly broken away, of a gauge constructed in accordance with indicator hand being normally at zero or starting. I

Figure 2 is a sectional'view, on the line 2-.-2 of- Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows. Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view through a storage tank showing gauge applied. Figure 5 is a sectional view on the knee- 5 liquid therein and the pi. Figure 6 showing a slight modification of.

Figure 6 is a sectional view on'the-line 86 the direction of the arrows.

Similar reference characters indicate corre- (Cl. 116-129) The invention relates to a gauge and more parsponding parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

Referring to the drawings in detail, particularly Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a gauge comprising a casing Ill of circular rmation having a releasable glass paneled front I l and a removable solid back l2, respectively, the front and back being telescoped upon the casing l0 and' held secure by seals i3.

Arranged within the casing close to the glass paneled front II is a dial I 4 having the concentrically circular arranged scales l5 and I6, respectively, these being divided by a ring-like demarcation I! therebetween and such scales being visible through the glasspanel of the front II from without the casing Ill. Centrally journ aied in the dial l4 and in a suitable housing It! suitably supported rearwardly thereof and by the same is an arbor or axle l9 carrying a Windlass 29, on or from which is to be wound or unwound a chain or cable made fast at 22 2i, one end of the same being to the Windlass and the other end carrying a float 23 buoyant upon aquantity of liquid 24 within a storage tank 25. The chain or cable 2! is trained centrally through a stand pipe or tube 26 supporting the casing l0 elevated above the tank 25 and connected with a suitable vent therein. The cable or chain 2| at the point of communication of the stand pipeor tube 26 with the casing l0 traverses an idle wheel 21 which centers the depending portion of the chain or cable 2| in said pipe or tube.

Mounted on the arbor or shaft ill at its front end is an indicator hand 28 adapted to traverse the dial II for coaction with the scales l5 and IS on the exposed outer face of such dial. The hand 28 is provided with the pointers 29 and 30, respectively, the latter being within an opening 3] in said hand and coacting with the scale l5, while the pointer 29 coacts'with the scale l6.

Pivote'd to the dial it at the zero point of the scales I5' and I6 is a bell crank-like or inverted V-shaped tripping indicator or signal 32, the pivot 33 therefor being at the crotch of said indicator or at the center of gravity thereof or midway with respect to the spread of the arms of the same. These arms of the indicator 32 have diskterminal is of and the other 30. The hand matically trips 28, on traversing the dial l4, autothe indicator 32, swinging one terminal 34 upwardly with the other terminal lowermost thereto.

This indicator has centrally 2 connected to it below the center axis a tensioning spring 35 which is also connected ofi center with respect to said indicator 32 with the casing l0 so that the indicator will snap past its axis to either side thereof to hold the terminals 34 in their thrown position on the tripping of the indicator 32 by the hand 28. If the hand 28 moves clockwise and assuming that the indicator 32 is in the position as shown in Figure 1 when such hand completes a revolution of the dial l4 it will contact with the terminal 34 in its path, shifting the same to the position reverse to thatshown in said Figure 1, thereby indicating to the observer of the gauge the fact that the said hand has made one complete revolution and thus the pointer 30 should be read in connection with the scale l5 for ascertaining the quantity of liquid within the tank 25. If the hand 28 traverses less than a complete revolution of the dial M then the indicator 32 will'be in the normal position shown in Figure 1 and thus the pointer 29 will be read in conjunction with the scale 16 to determine the quantity of liquid within the tank 25. The hand 28 is susceptible of two complete revolutions of the dial M to determine that the tank 25 has been emptied. When the indicator is in the reverse position to that shown in Figure l of the drawings on a counterclockwise movement of the hand 28 the said indicator will be shifted to that position shown in Figure 1, this being efiected by a single revolution of the hand 28 in the counterclockwise movement thereof.

Connected with the arbor or axle l9 and the housing I8 is a counterbalancing coiled spring 36 for the chain or cable 2 l, the spring being wound on the letting out of the chain or cable 2| for its rewinding upon the Windlass 22 on the rise of the liquid within the tank 25 when the latter is filled and this spring will take up any slack of the chain or cable 2| between the float 23 and the Windlass 20 upon which such cable or chainis wound or unwound.

In Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings there is shown a slight modification of the invention, wherein a reducing gear train 31 is arranged between the indicator hand 38 and the Windlass 39. this being required to assure two complete revolutions of the indicator hand 38 when a gauge is employed for service with tank capacities exceeding one thousand gallons, while the direct connection between the indicator hand and the windlass, as shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, is for a one thousand gallon capacity tank or less,

so that in both the preferred and modified forms and having pointers for the respective scales and a double arm indicator pivoted for arcuate swinging movement and located for engagement by the hand for the automatic tripping thereof by the latter when the said hand traverses the dial to identify the scale to be read according to the travel of the hand upon the dial.

2. The combination of a dial having independent scales, a hand traversing the dial and having pointers for the respective scales, a double arm indicator pivoted for arcuate swinging movement and located forengagement by the hand for the automatic tripping thereof by the latter when the said hand traverses the dial to identify the scale to'be read according hand upon the dial, and a spring active upon the double arm indicator for effecting snapping action thereof to either side of its axis of movement.

JAMES H. M. AWREY.

to the travel of the 

